Trump cuts US-South Korea military drills citing ‘good relationship with Kim Jong-un’ | First Thing

President said he was not happy' with plans for large-scale joint exercises he described as inappropriate and hostile'. Plus, how five obscure horses have ended up at the center of a transatlantic betting mystery

Good morning. Donald Trump has said he is scaling back joint US military drills with South Korea aimed at deterring North Korea, despite military officials from both countries warning that Kim Jong-un's regime is learning new battlefield tactics from the Ukraine war.

The president said he was not happy" with US participation based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong-un". He added that the drills were costly and send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a country that, as long as Donald J Trump has been president, has been unthreatening and respectful". Trump added that it was too late to cancel the drills so he had ordered the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce" them.

Why are there continuing concerns about USS Abraham Lincoln? Democrats have intensified their demands for answers from the Trump administration over conditions onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln amid concern over crew morale, mental health and living conditions. Ruben Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona, said he blamed the carrier's prolonged deployment on the unresolved war that Donald Trump started in February with Iran as well as lackluster leadership in general from the Republican president's administration.